Hobbes, a cat who loves olives

Prep work: Before we got Hobbes it was like adopting a baby. We researched names on the computer, we talked about names, we looked everywhere. We thought “Hobbes” was cute and everyone voted to keep it. (We should have named him Garfield because he’s yellow and fat, but we didn’t know that then.) He’s so big and fluffy I think he’s part Maine Coon.

Anne Graham and her family wanted a kitten after their two senior cats died in 1998. A friend was expecting a litter and that July, they were smitten with the little yellow kitten with fur sticking straight up. Nearly 15 years later, Hobbes – named after the stuffed tiger/imaginary playmate from “Calvin and Hobbes” – has made a memorable impact in the Graham’s home in Stanley. Anne tells his story.

Prep work: Before we got Hobbes it was like adopting a baby. We researched names on the computer, we talked about names, we looked everywhere. We thought “Hobbes” was cute and everyone voted to keep it. (We should have named him Garfield because he’s yellow and fat, but we didn’t know that then.) He’s so big and fluffy I think he’s part Maine Coon.

Building character: As a kitten, Hobbes used to jump in the basket of my mother’s walker when she was visiting. She’d laugh and give him a ride from the den to the kitchen and back again. If we didn’t take him out I think he’d have stayed in there all day. We also (somehow) discovered Hobbes loves olives. He knows the word, if you say “olive” he’ll come running like it’s catnip.

Aging gracefully: About five years ago Hobbes developed diabetes, so he gets insulin shots twice daily. Our vet recently told us he has the beginning stages of kidney failure and we know we’ll lose him someday. Even though he’s not as fluffy as he used to be, we’re hoping he has two more good years. He will leave us with many special memories from the past 15 years. Hilary Trenda